


She's in Love With the Boy

by Salmon_I



Series: To the Moon and Back [9]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Relationship Advice, Rumors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-23 05:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18147689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: “I mean, I wanted you to know we were cool.  I guess I thought Max and you already had your moment.”“No, not once while Isobel and I were dating did he have any kind of chat with me that seemed approving or even disapproving. So, I think - maybe he doesn't know I'm serious. Next thing I know it's the day of our wedding, and you’re doing an emergency fixing of the wiring on that ugly lighted bouquet Iz was obsessed with -”“If she heard you call it that-”“And you thank me for making Isobel happy.  Do you know what Max said to me that day? Barely a word.”





	She's in Love With the Boy

Noah had known before he asked Isobel out on their first date about the closeness between the Evans twins. He'd been working at the same law firm as their father and had met both Isobel and Max at a gathering hosted by their parents. There were whispers and rumors about the adopted twins’ relationship, and not all of them were flattering. When Noah had witnessed that closeness, though, he hadn't seen anything negative about it. He found the way Isobel fussed over her brother - a little mother hen, really - absolutely endearing. Max had been a harder read. He was polite, if a bit stiff. He didn't seem to let people truly close aside from Isobel. His affection for her, though, was obvious.

He heard rumors about Michael before he met him. None were flattering. When Isobel had asked him to get a charge against Michael dropped, he supposed he'd expected the worst. He actually found himself surprised in a positive way. Michael was a sullen and defensive young man, to be sure. Noah saw no hint of cruelty or anything truly dangerous in him, though. When he'd succeeded in getting the charge dropped, Michael's surprise that he'd actually bothered to do so was obvious. He'd given him one simple word of thanks but there had been a sincerity to it Noah appreciated.

After they'd begun dating, he noticed there were times Isobel would call off their dates suddenly. At first she gave apologies, but no explanations. Then one night he saw her with Max. Their next date he had mentioned it, and Isobel had defensively explained that Max had been upset and needed her. He would never forget the look she gave him when he told her that he saw nothing wrong with it and she could simply say that next time. She looked at him as if he'd just given her the stars.

When he'd seen her with Michael one evening, though, he'd felt less secure about it. He hadn't known then he was her brother, and he couldn't help but feel jealous. That had escalated into an argument that had threatened to put an end to their relationship. He'd chosen to apologise. He didn't honestly believe Isobel was cheating on him. He knew he'd just let his emotions make him irrational about it.

Isobel had huddled in his arms as she disclosed the story of their childhood. Losing their parents in a crash - being separated from Michael for three years. A brother she hadn't been able to live with. Hadn't always been able to protect. Deciding to keep it a secret from their adopted parents for fear it would make them feel guilty for the separation. He was the first she'd ever told. It had made him feel deeply trusted by her. It had made her codependency on her brothers easier to understand. To deal with.

As the years passed, though, he'd noticed something. Max never seemed to warm to him. He was always polite to him, and would occasionally ask for a favor from him when their work overlapped. He never chose to keep his company, though - even at the gatherings Isobel would drag him to. He always seemed to keep a distance between them. As if he never expected him to become a fixture in their lives - even as one year became two, became three, and so on.

Michael had never actively sought his company either. Never invited him for a drink, despite spending a fair amount of nights at the local watering hole. He avoided town functions as if they were the plague - until Isobel decided (usually at least once a year) that she was tired of his anti-social behavior and dragged him to one. At those functions, though, Noah had been pleasantly surprised to find he was one of the people besides Isobel and Max that Michael would actually gravitate to and hold a conversation with. It was usually complaints about being dragged to whatever function they were at but Noah always found himself amused by his soliloquies.

Isobel's concern about Michael being left alone hadn't seemed unwarranted after his outburst at the hospital. Asking for his help with the UFO Museum’s much needed repairs seemed a way to keep an eye on him without it seeming odd or intrusive. He hadn't expected the dislike Michael apparently had for Kyle Valenti, who had also volunteered to help him. He certainly hadn't expected to come back from a coffee run and find Michael locked in a passionate embrace with Alex Manes.

Michael had chased after him when he'd quickly backed off to give them privacy - all but pulling him out the side door to have a private conversation with him.

“You know you don't have to to freak out about me seeing that, right?” Noah asked him. To be honest, he'd suspected Michael was bisexual due to certain rumors involving Tyler Greenwood a few years back. The only real surprise in this case was who he'd seen him with. Michael's dislike of any authority was well known - and given that Alex had been given a parade upon his return there was no way Michael was unaware of his profession.

“I was just kinda hoping this was one of those things we could leave Izzy out of.” Michael responded. “Like… who really broke the ice sculpture at the memorial day picnic three years ago.”

“Or who was really driving her car when the paint got scratched at the UFO festival last year?”

“Yah, like those.”

“You don't think Iz would freak out about this, do you? I am positive it would be a non-issue.”

“Isobel knows about us. We have a history, actually, and due to someone's loose lips while drunk Max and Isobel learned the whole sordid story. It's a whole on again: off again; hot and cold thing.”

Now his concern was making more sense. “So you think Iz is gonna give you a speech about having some self respect.”

“Something like that.”

“And you want me to cover for you?”

“Asking for a friend here.” Michael offered a teasing grin.

Noah crossed his arms and studied his expression and body language. Despite his joking words, there was a tension to him still. “Do you deserve that speech?”

“C'mon, man. My plan was to be firm about saying no, I just got caught up.”

“Yah, what was firm in there was something else entirely.”

“Noah, seriously??” Michael stared at him in shock.

“Do I see Michael Guerin looking scandalized right now?” Noah couldn't keep the grin from his face.

“Look, this happens to be where we shared our first kiss as a pair of dumb teens, okay? Nostalgia's a bitch.”

“Teens? That’s ten years. You've been on and off all that time?”

“No…?” Michael hedged. When he gave him a doubtful look he sighed - running a hand through his hair. “It's complicated.”

“It’s Complicated is an SNS relationship status. In actual conversation you have to explain things.”

“We split up back in our teens. And then the reunion happened and things spiraled from there.”

“Ten years apart and you jump right into an “It's complicated” relationship?” Michael was avoiding his gaze, and Noah paused to consider the situation. He had thought it was strange that the two would choose to randomly hook up at a time and place their absence couldn't possibly go amiss. The more the other man explained the less this sounded like a hook up and instead sounded like an actual relationship. He had never seen Michael date anyone. His high school boyfriend came back into town and suddenly they had an on and off thing? That had 'the one who got away’ written all over it. “You sure this isn't serious?”

“I know better than to hope for that.” Michael's response was subdued, and pretty much the saddest thing Noah had ever heard. “And, like Max said-”

“Max? You're taking relationship advice from Maximo of all the men in this town?” Noah broke in, feeling a sense of irritation. While Max had dated, none had ended well. His two year no strings attached thing with Cam was the longest any tryst of his had lasted. To be honest, Noah was fairly certain that had only lasted as long as it did due to convenience and lack of options on both parties side. Max had no right to be giving Michael relationship advice. He also wasn't surprised he'd put his two cents in anyhow.

Michael's response was a shrug.

“Look, Michael, do you remember the Christmas before I asked Isobel to marry me?”

“You mean your first experience with the Christmas Tyrant that became your wife?”

Noah laughed at his jest, but sobered quickly.  He'd never really discussed his and Max's lack of connection with anyone.  He had a feeling, though, that hearing about it might put things in perspective for Michael. “Yah, that one. She dragged the four of us together at Max's place for Christmas Eve. We'd been dating months then so I kept waiting for the shovel talk, or alternatively some sort of sign of approval from Max. Instead, you hand me a beer that night and tell me I'm an okay guy. Not Max. You.”

Michael seemed surprised by the news “I mean, I wanted you to know we were cool. I guess I thought Max and you already had your moment.”

“No, not once while Isobel and I were dating did he have any kind of chat with me that seemed approving or even disapproving. So, I think - maybe he doesn't know I'm serious. Next thing I know it's the day of our wedding, and you’re doing an emergency fixing of the wiring on that ugly lighted bouquet Iz was obsessed with -”

“If she heard you call it that-”

“And you thank me for making Isobel happy. Do you know what Max said to me that day? Barely a word.”

“Well, Isobel and Max have always been super close. Their connection runs deep, y'know? I think a part of him was surprised when she got married. I have a feeling he always figured he'd marry first. That Isobel wouldn't settle down until he was - as old fashioned as it sounds - taken care of?” Michael excused.

Noah wasn't surprised. It seemed whenever anything strange came up about any one of the siblings one or both remaining parties would jump to their defense. Goat yoga came to mind. Not sure at this point whether he was proving a point to Michael or himself, he kept pushing. “The other week when Isobel and I had that fight, I went out to see Max. Hoping for a pep talk or a lecture or something. You know what I got? ‘Maybe this is for the best’. ‘Maybe you deserve better than someone like Isobel’.”

“Max was kind of a dick to everyone that week. I mean, I wouldn't take it personally.”

“So I get home, and what's on my voicemail?” Noah ignored the attempt to smooth things over. “A message from you complaining to me about how - and I quote - marriage vows say through sickness, health, thick and thin or some crap. So I'm failing as a husband because my wife is holed up in your trailer, miserable, and you're going to kick my ass over it.”

Michael definitely looked like he was finding this conversation uncomfortable. “What's your point?”

“My point is - who do you not want hearing about this kiss? Isobel? Or Max?”

“Max? Why would I care if Max knew?”

“I just notice you and Iz defer to the guy a lot.”

“Me? Defer to Max?” Michael made it sound like the notion was crazy.

Noah wasn't fazed by the show of bravado. He had noticed just that over the years. Isobel could coax the two into just about anything. The moment Max gave a hard answer to something, though - positive or negative - it seemed to settle any subject immediately. Michael occasionally threw a fit about whatever it was, but he never actually went against Max's wishes.

“Look, if any hesitation you have has to do with Max Evans’ approval - as someone who's never had it - maybe care a little less about that? And a little more about what you approve of.”

“What happened to that lecture about self respect?”

“I don't think we're supposed to be smart about love. I think that's the opposite of what it takes to make love work.” Noah confessed to him. “People talk about earning forgiveness, but it's not some credit system. In the end, the only one who can decide who you forgive and give another chance to is you. Not cuz of any one thing the other person's says or does, but because you decide they're worth the risk.”

“...I don’t think it's that simple.”

“Nothing in life is. C’mon, my wiring isn't gonna fix itself.”

“You got it, boss.”

Noah pulled on the handle of the side door, but the door didn't budge. “Apparently this door has an automatic lock.” Michael laughed as he began to glance through the museum's keys. Unfortunately there was quite a few different ones and he wasn't sure which one was the side door.

After the third key, Michael stepped forward. “I can get it open.”

“Let's not break and enter into my own building. We'll go around the front.”

Michael grinned as he followed him around. “Is locking ourselves out of your new building one of the things we don't tell Iz about?”

“Definitely.” Noah returned with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Michael is adorably supportive of Isobel and Noah's relationship, especially compared to Max. Max is all, “Don't use messing in my life to avoid your marital problems”, “Maybe you deserve better than Isobel”, and “We don't get to be with the people we want to be with”. Whereas Michael is all, “Isobel, you have Noah”, and “How is taking her away from her life - from her husband - helping her?” It's kinda cute. (Of course, he also feels the need to tell Liz that all Max has ever done is love her and Isobel made her leave town “without Max” so maybe he's just secretly a sappy romantic.)
> 
> I also wanted to write something that could play into the coming episode. Though, I'm a bit torn. I had planned something that would actually go very canon divergent as of last episode. (Hence why I still haven't written any fics including what happened in 1x08). I'm not sure whether to actually go through with it now, though, or continue to mostly follow the canon plot. Such a hard decision.
> 
> I feel like I should have named this Tyler hook up Chad because it's turning into a running joke. I had already written in my series that Michael had male lovers during the ten years Alex was away before seeing his and Max's scene in 1x07. Regardless of how it plays out in canon, I'll be staying with how I presented it in the earlier part of the series. Actually the scene in 1x07 is kinda sad. If you actually watch, while Max's response is no doubt positive in his own mind, Michael's reaction to his statement is negative. I feel like Max was saying he didn't care if Michael was with a guy, but Michael took it that he just didn't care about Michael's feelings.


End file.
